Power supplies constructed using the known concept of serially charging a series of capacitors and discharging the series in parallel are known in the art. Such configurations may be used, for example, with variations in excitation, for a variety of configurations. In one example, U.S. Pat. No. 5,446,644 (Zhou) discloses a direct current (DC) voltage divider configuration employing a diode and capacitor configuration very similar to that illustrated herein in FIGS. 1 and 2. In such '644 patent configuration, a DC supply is applied as the input to a diode and capacitor series circuit by way of a first switch. A second switch is configured to couple a number of diodes to the series connected capacitors to provide a parallel discharge path. Generally, such arrangement operates as a voltage divider in order to convert a relatively higher DC voltage to a relatively lower DC voltage. With an input DC voltage to such circuit, Zhou operates the switches alternately at a frequency chosen to produce a desired output voltage level. Such form of operation results in a somewhat selectively variable output voltage but at the cost of complex variable frequency alternating operation of such two switches.
In a somewhat similar arrangement, Cubbison, Jr. (U.S. Pat. No. 4,649,468) discloses a voltage divider circuit employing a series charge/parallel discharge diode/capacitor circuit where the diodes provide the switching without additional switches. The circuit in such Cubbison, Jr. arrangement, however, provides sub-divided capacitors, with varying numbers of capacitors used directly connected in series to provide desired low voltage outputs.
An “Analog Devices” article illustrates the use of a capacitor divider power supply in an electric meter. See, Analog Devices Application Note AN-687, “A Low Cost Tamper-Resistant Energy Meter Based on the ADE7761 with Missing Neutral Function” by English and Moulin, 2004, including material starting on page 7 of such publication under the title “Power Supply Design.” A Linear Technology Magazine article illustrates a switch capacitor voltage regulator that is configured to provide current gain. See, Design Ideas, “Switched Capacitor Voltage Regulator Provides Current Gain” Linear Technology Magazine, February 1999.
Despite some benefits offered by such configurations and others, it would, nevertheless, be beneficial to provide a simplified series-parallel capacitor-diode voltage dividing circuit that was able to produce a regulated low DC voltage based on a higher level alternating current (AC) input source.
While various implementations of series-parallel capacitor-diode voltage dividing circuits have been developed, and while various combinations of AC to DC and DC to DC voltage divider circuits have been developed, no design has emerged that generally encompasses all of the desired characteristics as hereafter presented in accordance with the subject technology.